Save Yourself
by rh-fntc
Summary: It takes great courage to see the world in all its tainted glory but even more courage to see it in the one you love.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: Spoilers for 3.12 There's got to be a morning after pill. I know I wasn't the only one who wanted to club the tv when Veronica broke up with Logan. And as much as I love LoVe I acknowledge the fact that both of them have to change in order for them to work. So with that thought in mind I wanted to Veronica to see Logan with someone else, someone who isn't a blonde. And in case anyone who is strictly a LoVe fan reads this and backs out at the thought that Logan is with someone else, well I advise you to read until the end. This is written in Veronica's perspective. And as such sometimes our own perception can deceive us. That said on with the story...

**Save Yourself 1/2**

'What a difference a year makes.' Veronica Mars thought to herself as she looked around her.

A year ago she was a freshman, trudging her way through the halls of Hearst College. A year ago she was in a relationship with the one and only Logan Echolls. A year ago she was happy.

But this year, well this year it seemed like nothing is going right.

She made an attempt to move on with Stosh Piznarski. She really did. He was a nice guy. He treated her right. He never lied to her. He never flaked on her. He had none of the baggage that Logan had. But when it comes down to it he wasn't Logan.

A year ago Logan was an ass. Sure he had his sweet moments, moments when he does such a simple thing like show up at her place of work instead of going to TJ. But his obligatory psychotic jackass side did not want to remain asleep for long.

He broke her heart, she could admit as much.

The thought that he slept with Madison Sinclair sent shudders through her entire body. She told him she couldn't get past it. And she stuck to her word. She went out of her way to shut him from her life. Looked the other way when their eyes meet, went the other direction when they were about to cross paths. Avoidance, she was good at that.

But she did not entirely succeed. Wallace, BFF Wallace, remained friends with him. She couldn't fully comprehend how they could have a friendship when Logan broke her heart. She asked him as much and all he said in return was that she wasn't the only one who was brokenhearted.

And he had changed. Everyone keeps telling her that Logan Echolls was a reformed man. She didn't believe it. Stripes and tigers, as the saying goes.

Logan would never be more than a screw up. He would consistently hurt and betray those he loved. At least that's what she tried to tell herself even after her friends and hell even her own father told her that Logan was doing a swell job at growing up.

Parker told her that Logan somehow got involved in 'Take Back the Night', something she was still unable to believe. From Wallace she heard that he's been working with underprivileged kids of Neptune. From her dad she found out that he's been helping Cliff McCormack at his dubious law firm. And from Dick she found out that he's been actually going to class, much to his dismay.

Swell. Yeah right, and the world would be coming to an end right about…now.

But she couldn't deny the truth of their words for long. Not when she's seen the evidence herself. And it was staring at her right in the face.

She knew she shouldn't have taken the Political Science class. But because she had to fulfill her general courses she enrolled in the class that majority of Hearst was trying to get into.

The professor was cool, she had to admit. Professor Dorian encouraged debates in his class, pointed out that the entire purpose of Political Science was to encourage dialogue. 'Between smarmy politicians and the populace,' those were his exact words.

The sole cloud in the clear horizon was her. She was Bethany. Wallace called her the anti-Veronica. And she had to agree. The girl was taller than her, her auburn hair came down to her waist. She had an open smile for everyone she meets, she talked in cultured tones, she giggled like a cheerleader, she walked like a courtesan. And everyone adored her.

Veronica hates her. Not because of her attributes, physical or otherwise. She hated Betty, as everyone called her (who in their right mind would prefer the name Betty over Bethany she thought murderously) because she possessed what Veronica lost. She had Logan in her life.

She sighed as she continued to look at them. Betty was in the same political science class as her. And twice a week she got to see Logan walk the other girl to class. They would be arm in arm and then he would give Betty a kiss on the cheek before he left. Sweet? More like nauseating.

Her only consolation was the two never made out in front of her. Well, they probably didn't know she existed. She tend to sit in the back of the class, far from view but afforded her a great view.

For a month now she's been seeing this new improved Logan and he had to be in someone else's arms. She can't help but be angry at him. Why couldn't he have gotten his act together when she was with him? Why does Betty get to have the perfect Logan while she had to endure OPJ Logan?

Veronica tapped her pen on the desk impatiently. She enjoyed Professor Dorian's class, she'd enjoy it more if Betty was not there.

Just then Dorian himself walked in. Veronica tried to focus on him. But she watched Betty instead. She would have felt justified in her hatred for the girl if she wasn't such … well people tend to describe her as perfect.

She of course had to investigate the woman that's taking much of Logan's time. And she had to concede that she was pretty much on the way to perfection.

Betty was not rich like Logan. In fact her family belonged to the middle-class category. She did not grow up in Neptune, spent most of her life in a quiet town in Connecticut. Which is why Veronica couldn't figure out why she would go to Hearst. Still the girl had a 4.0 GPA, was active in a lot of school organizations, belonged to honor's society. In a word, perfect. Veronica hated her all the more.

The professor must have said something because most of her classmates were standing up and forming twosomes. Obviously she missed something big. She looked around helplessly, hoping that one of her fellow students would clue her in.

And to her consternation it would seem that Betty took it upon herself to be the one to do it for her. Veronica mentally chided herself for not listening to the professor but then plastered on a smile at Betty's approach.

"Hey, Veronica Mars right? You're pretty famous around campus. I feel so lucky to be paired with you." Betty was smiling at her sweetly, even her voice was sweet. It definitely grated on her nerves.

"Paired with me?" she gave her a look of confusion.

"Oh, JD told us that we're working in pairs for the final paper. And as high school as it may be he just went with the class roster and paired us alphabetically." Betty shrugged helplessly.

"And I'm working with you?" her brow shot up at the idea.

"Yup, Mars," Betty pointed at her "Marsden." she pointed to herself.

"Oh." she tried to hide her displeasure.

"Yeah, so we're supposed to take the rest of the time today to discuss what we want to do for the paper." Betty was looking at her expectantly.

Veronica swallowed the sharp retort that she wanted to blurt out and tried to work with Logan's girl, the title that she was craving all the more.

She was a little impressed at the way Betty's mind worked. There was no doubt that she deserved her place in the honor's society. She found herself dreading their project less as they continued with their plans.

"Are you doing anything after class? Maybe we can continue this with coffee." Betty was shooting her a hopeful look.

"Sure, why the heck not. Anything sounds better with coffee." she found that she was actually looking forward to hanging out with the girl.

Betty practically beamed in delight as she stood up and grabbed her bag. The two of them walked out of class.

Veronica was feeling a little better about her as each minute passed. Betty really wasn't so bad. And she really was sweet, her sweetness was natural and it really was difficult to begrudge someone who had such a sweet temperament.

And she had to be interrupted by none other than Logan Echolls. She felt all her charitable thoughts about Betty disintegrate at his appearance. He looked at her and then at Betty. She could see his mind working overtime. How exactly do you deal with your ex and your girlfriend working together? He must be thinking that she would sabotage his relationship out of spite. And she can't help but laugh a sinister laugh inwardly.

"Hey Lo. Veronica and I are going to work on our final paper. You'll just have to endure Dick's company on your own tonight." Betty was smiling up at him and then she kissed him on the cheek.

She growled internally at the action, her generous assessment of Betty vanished completely. She can't help but feel that Betty knew all about her history with Logan. It was confirmed by the casual way she mentioned their outing, not even bothering with introductions.

"You're going to have to pay for this. You know that right?" Logan replied, a smile firmly plastered on his face.

"Whatever dude." was Betty's dismissive answer. Veronica can't help but smile at her words. The words sounded out of place coming from Betty's mouth.

"Don't stay up too late on this project. Don't go home too late. Make sure to call me when you're heading for your dorm. And-"

Betty just smiled and shook her head at him, "I'll be careful. I have my pepper spray and my karate skills. I think I'll survive."

Betty patted his hand gently as she let go of him. "Let's go Veronica. My caffeine level is at an all time low."

She looked at Logan one final time only to see him staring at Betty, she felt a pang to her heart at the tender look he was shooting the girl. And then as if he felt her stare he allowed their gaze to meet. Only to tear it away abruptly.

"Are you telling me that I won't be getting the 'don't drink even if Dick is taunting you' speech?" Logan stopped the both of them at his words.

"Lo, you won't drink. You know it, I know it. There is no point in going over it as if you were going to." Betty's eyes had a mischievous twinkle.

"Yeah well. I'll see you later." Logan rolled his eyes as he walked backwards to where she supposed his car was.

The two of them walked to the coffee shop in silence. Once they sat down they got back to business. Managed to complete an outline of how they were going to write the paper. Scheduled meetings at the library for research

Three cups of coffee and a piece of pumpkin pie later they were done. Betty looked satisfied with what they've accomplished and she can't help but share the feeling. She knew that they would do very well in the project.

But Veronica couldn't pass the chance to ask after Logan. She just needed to know if he really was okay now.

"I'm not dating him." Betty uttered quietly.

Veronica tried to control the confusion that assaulted her. She shot Betty a questioning look.

"Logan. I'm not dating him. I knew you were wondering if I was but I'm not. We're friends." Veronica was surprised at her straightforward words.

"You're not? Certainly seemed like you are." the claws have emerged.

"Why do you care so much? You're the one who broke him."

"Don't you mean broke up with him?" she shot the girl an annoyed look. She had no right to pass judgment at her. She had no idea what she had to endure with Logan.

"No, I meant what I said. You broke him the last time you two broke up. If you were so willing to toss him aside because he made a mistake of sleeping with someone you hate why do you care if what we have is beyond the realm of friendship?" the question was asked without malice, only pure curiosity.

"I wasn't willing to toss him aside. I agonized over that decision. You have no right to say anything. You weren't there. You only got to see the new improved Logan. You got the better end of the deal." she snapped at her.

Betty smiled sadly, "Do you honestly think that it was an easy feat? For Logan to be where he is right now? It took him a long while to be this okay. He had to hit rock bottom first. Do you know how we met?"

Veronica simmered in her anger and refused to acknowledge her question.

"I first saw Logan at an empty hallway, naked and bleeding. He made the mistake of sleeping with a girl who had a bouncer for a boyfriend. We became friends when he returned my boyfriend's clothes to me. I had to see Logan pick himself up and try to move on with his life. Without you in it. It wasn't easy. There were times when he would mess up. But time after time he would pick himself up. He saved himself. And now he's in a better place. He has so much going for him. No one can look him in the eye now and tell him that he's a screw up. So go ahead. Believe what you want to believe about him. He doesn't have to prove anything to you. He just needed to prove to himself that he can be." Betty gathered her things together.

"I'll see you in class Veronica. And believe me when I say you can stop with the dagger looks. I was serious when I said that Logan and I are just friends. Jess, that's my boyfriend, actually likes Logan and what's more he trusts him. That's why Logan was going mother hen on me. Jess trusts Logan to look after me when he's not here to do it himself." Betty got up from the chair and started to walk away only to turn around to face her again.

"Oh and Veronica. He still loves you. Fact is he always will. He may have saved himself, but you were the driving force behind it. He wants to feel that he deserves to be with you. Maybe it's your turn to work on deserving him."

TBC

AN2: I included some characters from my favorites show in this fic. Anyone who can tell me who they are gets a cookie!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: So sorry if this took awhile. Too many stories going on all at once. Confusing the hell out of me. Cookies for everyone who knew that I put in JD from Scrubs, Betty from Ugly Betty and Jess from Gilmore Girls. And kudos to LoVe23 who figured out the entire reason why I gave Betty the nickname, Betty and Veronica get it? Anyway, hope the ending is up to your liking. So on with the story...

**Save Yourself 2/2**

Veronica hesitated.

She had no idea what compelled her to be there anyway. She'd like to think that nothing that Betty said drove her to where she was at that moment. But then she'd only be lying. To herself no less.

'he still loves you, fact is he always will,'

Words uttered with such solemnity. As if by saying such thing out loud would be enough to make it all true. Veronica didn't know what irritated her the most, the fact that it took the girl, who she formerly labeled as Logan's girl, to get her where she was or that her own curiosity drove her to the brink of near insanity, enough to compel her to make an unscheduled trip to the other side of town.

She raised a hand hesitantly.

It was one o' clock in the morning. No one in their right mind would think that it was a good time to make an unwelcome visit.

She dropped her hand to her side and was quite prepared to turn around and head back to the comfort of her own bed. Although a night filled with endless gawping at the ceiling was not really at the top of her priority list.

Three days.

She had been debating on whether or not it was appropriate to ask Logan if there was any truth to Betty's claims. For the last three days she has been constantly assaulted by declarations of the people around her, mentally anyway.

Hell even Weevil was in better terms with her ex-boyfriend than she was. If her hearing was not failing her, she could distinctly remember Wallace bailing on their BFF time to hang out with the two. Apparently they had barbeque Sundays. She snorted in disdain at the thought.

She raise her hand again and was willing herself to knock.

Yet she hesitated.

What if he had a girl in there? What if he was with someone at that exact moment? What if Betty was just lying and this was just an elaborate joke at her expense?

She dropped her hand to her side and spun on her heels. She walked resolutely to her car. She was not about to become the butt of their joke.

But what if she was telling the truth? Betty had the most reputable character. If she took a random survey on campus everyone would whole heartedly concur that Bethany Marsden was an absolute angel. Even atheists would say so.

'he still loves you, fact is he always will,'

She's been asking herself over the last three days if she wanted Betty's words to be true. And that line of thinking brought her to where she was.

Veronica turned back around and marched to his door with a renewed sense of purpose. She had to know. She had to find out if he really did love her despite all that had happened. She had to know if there was a chance that their fractured relationship survived their last parting.

She reached the door again, raised her hand to knock again.

Yet she hesitated.

Did she want Betty to be right? If he really did love her how come he never tried to get her back? How come it was her standing outside his door and not the other way around? Why is she the one trying to get him back? Shouldn't he be the one trying to see if they can have another chance himself?

She dropped her hand to her side again.

Should she really be the one chasing after him? She was the girl in the relationship, she should be entitled to act girly. Then again she did tell him that she would never be able to get over the fact that he slept with Madison. Maybe he was just trying to respect her wishes. Therefore it is up to her to try and see if they can be together again.

And yet she hesitated.

"Do you have any intention of knocking at all?" an exasperated voice asked through the open window.

Veronica winced inwardly. She'd been stomping around for the last half-hour. She was a detective for goodness sake. How could she have missed the open window?

She debated whether it would be wise to make a run for it. Obviously Logan knew it was her. Then again she could just chalk it up to his imagination if he managed to get the cojones to ask her if she was lurking around his house at the wee hours of the morning.

Before she could make any final decision the door opened, revealing an annoyed Logan Echolls. He eyed her speculatively. Veronica just stared back at him. Deciding that if the first words out of his mouth were in any way derogatory then she was better off walking away.

"Meddler." he muttered under his breath.

Her brow furrowed at his word.

"Not you. Beth." he replied to her unspoken question. "Won't you come in?" he opened the door with such flourish and bowed lowly as she stepped into the beach house.

Veronica found herself looking at the home that he made for himself.

The entire house screamed his identity. The atmosphere seemed so relaxed. The living room, painted in dark hues, had a large screen TV and there were two huge couches at opposite sides. It looked very much lived in. The dining room had a casual air about it. The round table was covered with a plaid linen. The chairs were scattered all over the place.

Logan's beach house had none of the air of superiority that the old Echolls residence seemed to possess. It was not a shrine to someone's life. It was just a house. No, it was a home.

She smiled grimly at the thought. He had changed. And he did it without her in his life.  
It was amazing how much a person could accomplish in a year. Veronica would never have imagined Logan changing so much in such short a time. But he did.

Her dad was right. He sure did a swell job at the growing up part.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" he asked her politely. So politely in fact that she was having a tough time reconciling this Logan with her Logan.

She shook her head. He looked at her expectantly.

"What can I do for you Veronica?" he asked since her brain was obviously failing her.

She stared at him dumbly. What exactly did she hope to accomplish by coming here? He was being uncharacteristically nice to her, even if she did barge into his home at one in the morning.

"You still love me." she blurted out of nowhere. She closed her eyes upon realizing what she just did. She breathed in and then out. Hoping that the earth would open up and swallow her whole already.

When she finally opened her eyes she saw him looking at her curiously. He merely nodded in response to her words.

"Did you hear what I just said?" she finally asked after a long silence.

He just nodded again, but added a shrug to his answer.

It was her turn to look at him expectantly. She anticipated him to either deny it or confess his undying love for her. Was that expecting too much? Instead she got two nods and a shrug. Yeah deciding to come here was a smart choice. Sarcasm dully noted.

"Okay then. I guess I should just go." she looked at him once more and then just shook her head.

"Veronica, what do you want me to say? You come here and you tell me that I still love you. A fact that I am very much aware of by the way." his words stopped her in her tracks.

She whirled around so she could face him, "How can you not tell me? How can you let me believe that you're moving on with your life?"

Logan rolled his eyes at her outburst, "You seem to be missing an important piece of the puzzle Detective Mars. Maybe your memory is deliberately neglecting to tell you the most important aspect that is up for debate. You told me that you would never be able to get past the fact that I fucked Madison Sinclair."

"You know I didn't mean it." she stubbornly replied.

"Like hell you didn't." he laughed bitterly. "I poured my heart out to you and you know what I got in return? Deafening silence. So pardon me for not wanting to put my heart on the line."

"When did this heart pouring that you're talking about happen?" she countered just as bitterly.

"Ah! Veronica's voice mail! So, where are you, Veronica? Out digging through someone's trash, maybe? Interrogating one of your friends? Beating out a confession? You know, if you dig deep enough, you're gonna find that everyone's a sinner. Judge not, Veronica, et cetera, et cetera. All right, stay on message, Logan. Okay, honestly...it's encouraging that someone still has such high expectations of me. Veronica, I would give anything if I could take back that night in Aspen. I'm sorry it causes you so much pain. I'm sorry it happened. And I really love you, Veronica." he spread his arms wide open as he finished. "Not ringing any bells?"

Veronica lowered her eyes at his impassioned speech.

"You deleted it the moment you heard it was me, didn't you?" he shook his head and looked away from her direction.

She remembered the message. She just deleted it, to her it was the return of jackass Logan and she was already too hurt that she just didn't want to hear whatever he had to say.

"Can't say I blame you." he nodded understandingly.

His declaration brought Veronica's gaze back on him.

"I did an unforgivable thing. You made that all very clear, so here we are." Logan ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, here we are." she muttered quietly.

"Why are you here Veronica?" he looked at her tiredly.

"Betty said-"

"Don't use her as your excuse." he interrupted her all of a sudden.

"I'm not." she looked at him with such resentment.

"You didn't come here just because of what she said. You've been dying to tell me off since you saw me walking her to class the very first day of the semester." Logan folded his arms across his chest as he waited for her tirade expectantly.

"You've changed." she said quietly.

"So what if I did?" he looked at her critically.

"You changed the moment I was no longer a part of your life. You shared a better part of yourself with someone else. And damn it Logan that hurt! Out of all the things you did the thought that by not being with me…you are…you are a better person without me in your life!" she could feel herself tearing up as she said the words that she'd been dying to say since she first saw him with Betty.

Logan looked at everything but her as she finished.

"And then I find out from some girl, who knows nothing about me by the way, that you're still in love with me. And you know what else? She told me I have to work on deserving you. Isn't that just icing on the cake? Fan-frakin-tastic is what it was!" she eyed him angrily.

"You didn't have to listen to her." he retorted coolly.

"Apparently she's the authority on all things Logan Echolls. How come she gets the honest you?" Veronica couldn't help the hurt from tainting her tone.

"Is this the entire point of your visit here? Are we doing a recap of all the bad things that I have done, because seriously I could do without it." he looked at her with such impatience.

"I don't need you to tell me everything that had gone wrong with our relationship Veronica. I just quit that habit and the truth is I have Beth to thank for that. And you're right I have become a better person without you in my life. And Bethany has been instrumental in everything that you see in me now. But she wasn't the reason I changed. I am the reason I changed. I got tired of being the constant fuck-up. I hated what I saw whenever I look in the mirror. I saved myself Veronica. Not you, not Beth. And I'm so fucking proud of myself." Logan uttered with such solemnity.

Veronica knew that if this moment was happening a year ago they would be screaming at each other at the top of their lungs. But he's changed and it showed.

"I'm proud of you too." she spoke quietly. Logan did a double take at her words. And then he smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you are doing great Logan." she felt the fight drain right out of her. It was their pattern and it was high time that they stop using old wounds as their ammo. "Look Veronica-"

"That's all I actually wanted to say. I'm glad you're doing a swell job at being a grown up." she bravely looked at him.

He looked at her dubiously and then he smirked, "You borrowed your dad's word."

Her brows furrowed. "Borrowed?"

"Yeah, he told me I'm such a swell kid now. That I didn't used to be." he looked as though he was remembering the moment.

"So I guess I should get going." she didn't want to go, something was still unresolved.

"That's it?" Logan actually seemed disappointed in her. It was a hard feeling to swallow.

"Betty was right. I do have to work on deserving you." she nodded, she felt like she was trying to convince him and herself as well.

"Ve-"

"If it makes any difference I loved you then. I love you now." she looked at him squarely in the eye as she said the words that she's never said before.

"Then why are you leaving?" he asked with such patience.

"I told you I have to work on deserving you." she exhaled in exasperation it was taking everything inside her to leave and his question was not making it any easier.

"Can you not interrupt me while I say something profound?" he asked her sardonically.

She tried hard not to roll her eyes at him and nodded. She was feeling so emotional and it felt like it was a joke to him. He was always good at reading her mood, yet he seemed completely oblivious of her inner turmoil.

"If everyone had to work on deserving the one they love then the world would be filled with miserable people. You don't have to work on deserving me." he shook his head at the idea.

"But-"

"No buts Veronica. We are more than a sum of bad memories. You and I…we're Logan and Veronica. I never doubted for a moment that we would eventually find our way back to each other. No matter how long it takes we will eventually be together again." he declared with such certainty.

She felt herself tearing up at his words. He sounded so sure. She can't help but feel worse since all this time she had put the idea of them at the back of her mind. A part of her can't help but feel that somehow she really did let him down. By not believing in them as much.

"Stop it." Logan looked at her sternly.

"Stop what?" she asked him tearfully.

"Stop with your self-recrimination. I just told you the best speech of my life and here you are trying so hard not to cry. I had to come up with that on the spot and you're not even swooning at my profound wisdom." he closed the distance between them and settled his hands around her waist.

She looked at him tearfully somehow feeling that she really didn't deserve him.

"I love you Veronica Mars. And we are going to take a lot of work. I refuse to keep on being an on-again, off-again couple." he gazed at her with such tenderness. "We'll do better this time won't we?"

She just nodded in return.

"After all you do have Logan 2.0. I heard it's a better version. One that actually has a future." he tipped her chin up and she could see in his eyes, clear as day, that he really did save himself.

"I'll take whatever part of you I can get Logan." she took his hand from her face and held it tight.

"Then you're in luck. You already have all of me." Logan allowed their hands to intertwine.  
THE END

AN2: Who wants an epilogue????


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: I adore everyone who reviewed. I love that you all seemed to respond the way I imagined, when I posted the question I was thinking of _Mars, Bars _and how Veronica said 'I do, I do' when Cliff asked 'who wants out of jail?'. Anyway, I couldn't help myself I had to include a special appearance by the person that most of you recognized from the first chapter. So here's the epilogue that you guys asked for. Hope you liked it...

SAVE YOURSELF

**Epilogue**

Veronica put her things away as Professor Dorian concluded his lecture. He was going on and on about the paper that they submitted. So when he finally shooed them out of the room there was collective sigh of relief.

"Here comes our escort." Betty smiled at her as she too got up from her seat.

Veronica can only smile in return.

It was their ritual. Logan would still walk Betty to their political science class. Veronica found out that Logan only walked her there because they were coming out of their Anthropology class and the room just happened to be on his route. He would still kiss Betty on the cheek but he would always reserve a passionate kiss for her whenever she waited for them by the door.

She'd been sitting up front these days. And next to her would be Betty. The setup was way better. It afforded her a clear view of Logan as he waited for their class to end. Then they would accompany Betty to her car and then the rest of the night was theirs.

Sometimes they would hang out with Betty and even Dick. But most of the times they would just be together.

She was becoming attached to the beach house and she even went so far as to putting her own personal touch around the place. Logan didn't seem to mind in fact he all but encouraged her. The downside to his moving out of the Neptune Grand was the lack of housecleaning. He obviously tries but he was still just a guy.

Veronica and Betty walked out of the class together and waiting on the other side was Logan and another guy that she did not recognize. From the corner of her eye she saw Betty stiffen slightly.

"Logan." Betty nodded in his direction and proceeded to walk away.

She shot Logan a questioning look when he reached for her books.

"This is going to be entertaining." he smirked at her as she slipped her hand into his.

The unidentified guy jogged towards Betty. "Nice." the sarcasm was very evident in his tone.

Betty stopped and spun on her heels to face the guy.

Logan and Veronica stopped as well.

"The next time you feel like going Jack Kerouac on me you can expect less than a glance." Betty said coolly.

Veronica could not imagine the expression on perfect Bethany. But it would seem that the girl had another side to her.

"What can you expect from a writer's life?" the guy rolled his eyes at Betty.

Betty raised her brow at him and then faced Logan, "Lo take this away."

"Told you this is going to be interesting." Logan grinned at her as he gently took his hand away from her grasp. He assumed the same stance as the guy, "What can you expect from a writer's life? Jess, you should know better than that. Lame."

"Shut up rich boy." the guy she now knows as Betty's boyfriend retorted without looking at Logan. "Is this how you welcome me back? After two months? Aren't you even interested in knowing that I finished my book?"

"Diner boy." Logan muttered as he grabbed her hand again.

Betty's expression softened at Jess' words. "Can I read it?" she asked eagerly.

Jess looked thoughtful. "I don't know." he tapped his forefinger against his chin in contemplation.

The distance between the other couple was considerably less. Betty kissed him chastely on the lips and whispered something that Veronica couldn't hear. Jess just smiled and put his arms around her shoulders.

Logan frowned at the development. "I take it back. It's not as entertaining as it used to be." he looked at her, "Once Beth threw a drink at his face. But he did disappear for six months so I think she was justified."

Jess turned in their direction and looked at them expectantly.

"Oh where are my manners? Jess I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Veronica Mars."

Jess nodded thoughtfully, "Huh. You finally found the balls to beg her to take you back."

He extended his hand to Veronica, she smiled at him as she shook it.

"There was no begging." Logan retorted dryly as they all started walking again.

Jess only looked condescending at Logan's retort.

For a second Veronica felt out of place, but Logan put his arms around her shoulders too and gave her a reassuring look.

"So I take it I lost. I'll have to be your willing slave for a week." Jess cast a questioning look at Betty.

Betty looked away from him and just continued walking.

"So I didn't lose after all." Jess' smirk widened.

She looked at Logan, hoping that he would quell her curiosity. Logan just shrugged, he was obviously in the dark on this one.

They all reached Logan's car.

She was still looking at the other couple curiously. Jess saw her stare and smiled.

"Beth and I had a bet on how you and the rich boy will get back together. She told me that he'd go on his own volition. I told her she would meddle and get you two back together. It's just her way." the fond look on his face could not be mistaken for anything less than love.

Veronica found herself holding back a laugh. Logan called Betty a meddler.

"I did not meddle!" Betty's eyes narrowed at her boyfriend.

Logan winked at her and then turned to Betty, "Well…"

"I don't think of it as meddling. I think it was more of a public service." Veronica finally spoke up, she was not about to let her newfound friend down. "And you," she jabbed Logan's stomach with her elbow, "don't act like you aren't grateful."

Betty beamed at her words.

"Look at what you've done. Soon they'll be thick as thieves." Jess shot Logan a sardonic look as he opened the door for Betty.

"Me? You're the one who called her a meddler. Veronica was only trying to defend her." Logan retorted as he did the same for Veronica.  
Betty and Veronica were both safely ensconced inside the Range Rover while Jess and Logan were continuing their debate as they went to the other side.

"Are they always like this?" Veronica can't help but ask from the passenger seat. She was looking through the window as the two men actually stopped from going inside the vehicle to continue their heated argument.

Betty nodded gravely. "But if you comment on their arguments as a way to blow off some of their unresolved sexual tension it would shut them up for a week." Betty smiled her sweet smile, with the tiniest hint of evil.

Veronica grinned at her words. Betty wasn't so perfect after all. They're going to get along just fine.

The doors opened and then closed. The dispute between the two men were obviously on hold.

"I was wondering when you two were going to get in." Veronica smiled at Betty conspiratorially.

"Uh-huh." Logan responded absentmindedly.

"I was actually worried that you two would end up making out. You were becoming very passionate." she said flippantly.

The two guys just groaned at her words and Betty had the same self-satisfied look that she was sporting.

Yep, life was good.

THE END really.


End file.
